Narrative Therapy Charter of Story-Telling Rights by David Denborough
G’day and welcome to this Friday Afternoon on-line launch of the Narrative Therapy Charter of Story-Telling Rights. David Denborough works at Dulwich Centre and Dulwich Centre Foundation and this Charter is part of a broader project in relation to ‘narrative justice’ that Dulwich Centre Foundation International is currently engaged with:
* When meeting with people whose problems are the result of human rights abuses and injustices, how can we ensure we do not separate healing from justice?
This Charter proposes a framework for considering storytelling rights. We hope it will spark discussions about the rights of people who have experienced trauma/social suffering in relation to how their stories are told and received. We invite you to discuss this Charter with us, with friends, with colleagues, in your organisation and elsewhere. You may like to endorse this Charter or offer suggestions, changes, and or additions. Welcome to this Friday Afternoon discussion!
Further reading:
A human rights approach to psychotherapy by Khader Rasras
A framework for receiving and documenting testimonies of trauma by David Denborough
The Narrative Therapy Charter of Story-Telling Rights has been inspired and challenged by the work of the:
* Just Therapy Team from New Zealand
* Reclaiming our stories, reclaiming our lives project
* Ibuka: the national genocide survivors association of Rwanda
* Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture in Ramallah, Palestine
The Charter is based on narrative principles of responding to trauma (see Michael White, 2004; or Trauma: Narrative responses to traumatic experience).
For discussions about human rights discourse see:
Gustavo Esteva & Madhu Suri Prakah (1998) Grassroots Post-Modernism: remaking the soil of cultures. London: Zed Books.
For information about narrative therapy responses to trauma see:
Michael White (2004) ‘Working with people who are suffering the consequences of multiple trauma: A narrative perspective.’ International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, 1:45-76. Reprinted in the book Trauma: Narrative responses to traumatic experience.
Olena
March 7, 2023Thank you for this video and for invitation to discussion.
I agree with all the articles in the Charter, they are important both for the therapist and for the person seeking help.
The most gorgeous one for me is the Article 7. Everyone has the right to know and experience that what they have learnt through hardship can make a contribution to others in similar situations.
I think this is a very powerful thing, because not only it can help others, but also it gives so much meaning to the person, that their experience is important and of high value. It can be life changing.
denise.potter72
February 6, 2023Hello, I’m writing from NSW Australia.
Thank you so much for sharing, I’m a social worker and this is allowing me to build on my knowledge and skills especially when working within an adolescent framework.
Julie
January 14, 2023I am writing from Queensland Australia. Happy to be here and introduce myself. I particularly found these articles of interest as I work in the addiction space as a counsellor. Many of our clients have underlying trauma. Being able to approach the subject with an empathic attitude is not just a technique but a respectful attitude and non-judgmental stance that goes beyond the surface, reaching the hidden and often many layered depths of the client. The story telling rights, demonstrates this perfectly. I also think I can use some of the framework for receiving and documenting trauma stories in my own practice and have found this whole section of particular use to my practice when working with clients who have experienced past trauma
Emma H.
November 18, 2022I really appreciate the article to honor the broader context that influences individuals, groups, and communities. In many ways this is a simple concept, but can still be overlooked or assumed instead of considered with real intention or depth. I am new to the practice of narrative therapy and this framework for considering how narrative therapy can serve individuals, groups, and communities who have experienced and continue to experience marginalization and oppression is extremely helpful.
Laurie Sharp
October 24, 2022Dear David,
Thank you for sharing this charter with us. I really appreciate the focus on healing in the context of either individual or community. I have been a firm believer that storytelling, the ability to share, to be seen, to be heard is of great importance and that sometimes. just his alone can be so very healing. When we add the layer of corporate storytelling, the possible healing becomes so enriched and broad. The possibility of healing both an individual and a group, family, or community is simply amazing. Therapy at its best. I believe in the power of individual narratives, family narratives, and community narratives.
Valerie St Germain
September 4, 2022Retelling one’s story can be powerful yet devastating, reliving the terror one has experienced. This framework (i.e. A framework for receiving and documenting testimonies of trauma by David Denborough) will be very beneficial in empowering the individual in telling their stories.
lisamoore.aus
September 1, 2022The experiences and the stories that have been part of the Charter’s development are compelling. The determination to keep justice and healing in the same space – is a powerful reminder that whatever we do as therapists, we must not overlook one in pursuit of the other. In more simplistic terms, the Charter illuminates our work. I have worked in countries where the OHCHR was published in national documents but overlooked at the local level. It wasn’t easy – but appreciating and understanding the OHCHR helped to keep the competing stories and voices in balance. I am new to Narrative Therapy – but it resonates with my lived experiences. Seeing the Charter and hearing how it came to tell its own story, is a great comfort. Thank you.
Raasha Shaikh
June 9, 2022Hello!
I see these comments filled with passion for great events of human suffering. I do not work in such space. I work in Mumbai, India with primarily the privileged upper-middle class, my work is towards problems that exist on a more individual scale. While trauma and pain is very much prevalent in their lives as well, I avoid using strong words like ‘injustice’, as we are trying to work against catastrophizing and self-victimization. I do however, resonate with all of these articles, especially article 4. I always make it a point to acknowledge their strengths in hardship and am often the first to do so in their lives. I believe it is very important. Thank you for this.
Isabel Beuve
November 12, 2021Hello David, and greetings from Spain,
Although it is not my field (Í am a linguist), this has made me reflect on the fact that the absence of collective therapy practice in my country might be one of the reasons why we are still, as a society, struggling with the remnants of our civil war. This also causing a model of selfish citizen.
Besides, í have found some relation as well with the theory of the third space. It is usually mentioned with regards to politics (neomarxism, post structuralism ), but í do consider it very fitting in narrative studies, so it may also have some applications in therapy when dealing with social issues.
Best regards,
Sergio Chacón
November 12, 2021Hello, David
Greetings from Temuco in southern Chile, the ancestral land of the Mapuche.
I’ve been working about 17 years with people who suffer from their relationship with drugs. I stand from a harm reduction perspective to address these challenges of change and this rights chart clearly summarizes my point of view on therapeutic work in this area. Thank you very much for creating this proposal that will continue to illuminate my practice.
Best,
Sergio
Manpreet Kaur Mann
September 29, 2021Hi David, thank you for sharing. I am a social work student at the University of Wollongong. This charter is helpful for me because it makes me aware that I need to keep my clients at the centre of my practice and to work ‘with’ them rather than ‘for’ them. I know that it can be challenging for me because I am very new to it but it is a very interesting therapy for me because I will work for the human rights and justice of my clients by giving importance to their narrative by being simple with the client rather than complicated and judgemental for hearing their narrative (stories) and to hold them. This charter and narrative therapy help me to understand that everyone has their own and unique story to tell others. As a therapist, I need to provide proper justice and space to the clients for telling their stories. Thanks
Chantelle M
September 10, 2021Hi David,
Thank you for sharing this information on the Charter. I am a family Violence practitioner and about to move into a space of working with adolescents and their families. The discussed articles for the charter, really highlighted to me, on how as a society, I think we fail often at ensuring these rights are given to those, who cannot freely advocate and communicate for themselves. Previously I worked with children in out of home care, and their voices and rights to tell their story, to share their experiences without prejudice and judgment was not definitely not something you would see a lot of the time. Especially in children where there would be significant escalated dangerous behaviors. These children would be viewed as a product of their environment essentially, but not allowing the child to voice how they felt their trauma had impacted them. We seem to do a lot of talking about, not talking with. I have noticed this further in my current practice, particularly of those with disabilities, where the individual may have verbal communication complexities. Again, it seems they are categorised into a ‘box’ based on the “stereotype” for their disability. I reflect within myself, how are we as practitioners in the space, ensuring the equal right and opportunity for these women (in relation to my current role) to be able to share their stories and experiences, which would so enrich their understanding of their experiences. As a practitioner in the family violence space, I work hard and making sure the voice is heard of the woman, but it is much tougher space to ensure that children’s experiences are heard and validated. These charters definitely make me reflect on my own practice and to help me build on my skills, to ensure I strive to keep advocating to ensure the voices of those silenced are heard and their right to share their own story in their own way is given. Thank you for such a great thought provoking and reflective session.
Tom Coope
August 14, 2021There is much talk within healthcare organisations about placing the person at the centre of their care and treatment, but in practice this seldom happens in my experience. I think a much more radical approach is needed to give the person an audible voice and this charter provides a strong foundation for advocating for positive social change. It also provides clear principles for individual practitioners working within systems that have the potential to cause harm. We cannot promote healing without acknowledging and addressing systemic inequality and injustices. Thank you for this informative and thought provoking session.
Sammy Sahni
August 12, 2021Thank you for sharing, as someone who is always inclined towards social work and understanding social justice, the charter and other articles particularly the one about human was a humbling experience. I am able to witness myself and my responses and also of others in a compassionate and non judgmental way. I am looking forward to experiencing how this will reflect in my future work with marginalized communities.
Julia
July 7, 2021Hi David,
thank you sharing, and allowing me to build my knowledge and skills around working with clients. So much stood out to me in this video. I appreciate the way the charter focus on people as the expert of their own experience, something which I aim to keep at the forefront of my mind when any person is consulting me. I reflected a lot on the story and history written about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders here in Australia. How much of it is the colonial perspective, thus minimising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people own experience and reality of our history. It is such a thin story which does not uphold the 1st right you discussed. Article 4 also stood out, externalising the problem and the legacy of the trauma. I am looking forward to continuing this course.
Thank you again,
debbie webster
May 11, 2021it is important to be true to the nature and intent of a clients story and respect their rights and the dignity of their stories. A charter to support their narratives and respect their human rights and their right to healing and justice is imperative. it brings to mind the human rights abuse that has been visited on refugees and asylum seekers who have sought refuge in Australia only to receive treatment that is not representative of a compassionate country. Their stories were ignored and manipulated to support the harsh treatment they received.
Sandra Owen
April 29, 2021Hi, David, I understand how important it is to protect people i.e. clients’ confidentiality and personal narratives in a non-bias, non-judgemental way which in turn provides a safe space to allow clients to unwrap their narrative whilst keeping in mind the power imbalance that a professional has on a client. We can adjust to mitigating that power imbalance by being respectful of the power of the client and that it is their narrative does imply they are the professional of their story. I love the charter and what this represents a client-centered approach.
chatdita@gmail.com
April 29, 2021Hello David,
As I take this course, India burns in the flames of the second wave of Covid. While many suffer, a lot of people are now reeling under anxiety and related mental health challenges as they cope with grief and loss and helplessness. While watching you read the charters, I was reflecting on Michael White’s idea of how social justice is deeply connected to emotional trauma. An entire generation who are now going through collective trauma due to a broken system in India, will the government or the prospective governments take responsibility of the damages they cause. How will this entire population who has now witnessed so much suffering due to the pandemic recover from feelings of guilt of not being able to save their loved ones or children who have lost their parents recover from childhood trauma. And if at all, the locus of the problem is not the person, and indeed socio-political, then how does one work towards helping these people recover from the trauma they now face, without the external accountability and responsibility.
My question would be though, how do you make the system (be it family, community, government) partner in someone’s healing. While the idea of “externalising” the problem helps destigmatize mental health challenges and also puts the onus out, how does one reconcile with two. How does one make the system accountable.
Thanks, Anindita
Samantha
April 17, 2021Hi David, thank you for sharing. I’m a Social Worker and the charter for me reminds me to keep clients at the centre of my practice and to work ‘with’ them rather than ‘for’ them. This can be challenging when working in statutory organisations but it is still possible. It also reminds me that the human rights and justice narrative doesn’t have to be complicated but can be as simple as being with the client, hearing their narrative and holding them. Justice can be as simple as providing them space to hear their story. Because I hear similar themes with my clients (I.e. family court issues), sometimes I write their narrative for them in my head before I’ve even heard their story. It’s judgemental and I realise it’s impacting on my practice as I’m not putting them at the centre and not giving them the justice they deserve. This charter and being new to narrative therapy reminds me that everyone has their own story to tell which is unique to them. I’m planning on printing this and putting it where it’s visible to serve as a reminder. I’m also planning on sharing it with my colleagues. Thank you! 🙂
Dear David,
Thank you for sharing the Chapter with me.
My attention was drawn toward two articles. In particular, Article 3 that made me think of my hypnotherapy work where the emphasis is on the privacy and confidentiality of the experience itself. I seemed not to question that in terms of those people who may wish to invite others to be a part of their experience and that those invited others may actually contribute to my clients’ healing journeys. I now plan to address that by adding a sentence around that to the FAQ on my hypnotherapy website. Secondly, Article 4 moved me deeply, as I reflected how at times I see others through the lens of one storyline or some kind of deficit in them. I can witness myself with compassion, non-judgement, and I acknowledge the impact of my single story in relating to others. With this, I commit to continue to stay curious and open not only to hearing but looking for multiple stories of people’s lives.
Thank you again, Grace